Lewis Hamilton labelled his error-strewn Hungarian Grand Prix one of his worst ever performances, despite consolidating his lead at the top of the championship to 21 points.
The world champion had dominated throughout Friday and Saturday, finishing fastest in each and every practice session and romping to pole by over half a second.
But after a poor start left the 30-year-old behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton fell down to 10th after running into the gravel at Turn 6.
The Briton soon closed the gap between himself and third-placed Rosberg, aided by the deployment of the safety car with 26 laps left.
But after the race restart he understeered and clashed with Daniel Ricciardo, damaging his own front wing and forcing him to pit and re-join in 12th, before a drive-through penalty because of the incident made things even worse.
That seemed to have left Rosberg in prime position to close the gap between himself and his Silver Arrows' team-mate, as he continued to push for the win.
Hamilton meanwhile set about making up on lost ground again, passing Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson's Saubers, the McLaren of Jenson Button and Romain Grosjean in the Lotus.
And he was then dealt a huge slice of luck, as Rosberg - in second - tangled with Daniel Ricciardo at the first corner, puncturing his rear left tyre and forcing him to pit and eventually finish behind Hamilton in eighth.
But though Hamilton's eight points helped him build upon his Drivers' Championship lead, he was far from pleased with his race - which he labelled a "really bad performance."
"I was all over the place," he admitted to BBC Sport. "I don't really have any words to describe what happened.
"There were mistakes all over the place. I don't know if it was a lack of concentration or what.
"I pushed, and I kept trying right until the finish line, but there were so many obstacles along the way. It's like there was the choice to take two different directions and each time I chose, it was the wrong one.
"I can take a lot from today, learn a lot, and take it on the chin."
Hamilton admits he was lucky to stay top
Sebastian Vettel was the eventual racewinner at the Hungaroring, with Ricciardo and Daniil Kyvat completing the podium for a Red Bull double after a hectic race.
And Hamilton conceded that he was fortunate to have come away from the day after such a poor performance.
He added: "Today was incredibly bizarre. Do I deserve any points? I think that I drove as hard as I could and I had good pace, but through all that went on, I think by the grace of God I have some points.
"I've got to come away from this, take a breather and come back strong next race [after the break].
"It's generally a little bit easier to do that when you go from pole position and you win the race and you have a much easier Sunday.
"But to come away from this knowing it was one of my worst performances for a long, long time shows that we're all still human.
Asked whether he felt lucky to remain in a strong position to retain his world championship, Hamilton responded: "Yes, but I don't try to rely on luck, just hard work, and I think this weekend the team worked incredibly hard.
"Up to today, I did everything I could. The race was a bit wobbly, but I'll regain my stability."